"Butchered" - My Hero Academia fans slam anime's PG style as season 7 approaches

Modified Mar 11, 2024 19:20 GMT

Taking a look at fans' reactions to Studio Bones' censorship (Image via Studio Bones)

My Hero Academia season 7 is all set to release in May, and fans are both excited and nervous about the upcoming season. The show started on a relatively lighter note, replete with comedic and wholesome moments. However, the overall tone and atmosphere of the show has drastically shifted.

The source material has plenty of panels that contain gore and violence. A part of the manga’s appeal relies on these themes since the shock value plays an important role in hooking the readers.

However, fans are quite concerned about My Hero Academia season 7 since they believe that Studio Bones “butchered” the adaptation by censoring certain elements. Let’s see how the fanbase felt about the previous season and the differences between the source material and the anime.

Fans are worried about the censored adaptation of My Hero Academia manga ahead of the season 7 release

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This has been a topic of discussion among fans for quite some time. Fans have been analyzing the adaptation of the series from around season 5 and since then, they have pointed out some differences between the source material and the anime adaptation. As stated earlier, Kohei Horikoshi drastically shifted the overall atmosphere and feel of the manga as it progressed.

The stakes kept getting higher and the series had plenty of violence and gore in the manga. However, it is important to note that this is a Shonen anime series. Given that it falls under this category, the animation studio isn’t allowed to display the kind of gore that was shown in the manga.

My Hero Academia fans are upset with the censorship (Screengrab via X)

But, this didn’t stop the fanbase from criticizing the production team. They firmly believed that the My Hero Academia manga was far better than the anime adaptation. Barring censorship, Horikoshi’s art style is also quite intricate, making it very difficult for the animators to translate it into the video format.

This is another reason why the fanbase firmly believes that My Hero Academia is best experienced by reading the manga series. A small section of netizens seemed to have complaints against Studio Bones.

Fans hope for a change in animation studio (Screengrab via X)

Fans took the time to explain that Studio Bones isn’t responsible for this decision. My Hero Academia is given a specific time slot, and this in turn dictates what can or cannot be shown. Censorship is not something the animation studio has control over.

Fans have also expressed interest in seeing a shift in animation studio. They believe that the likes of Madhouse and MAPPA would be better suited for the kind of art style that Horikoshi offers.

Final Thoughts

There is no doubt that censorship has a negative impact on the overall viewing experience. The anime adaptation isn’t particularly bad. However, the genre and broadcast time slot dictate the content that can be shown in the adaptation.

While some fans are understanding, others seem to be quite disappointed. There appears to be no fix at the moment. However, should fans wish to have an optimal experience, they can do so by reading the manga instead of watching the anime series.

Stay tuned for more anime and manga news as 2024 progresses.